The Trials of Emma Swan
by SwanQueenOnDeck
Summary: The town of Storybrooke is rocked when the first murder in town makes national headlines. As a result, the citizens are in a state of unrest, facing a mysterious killer, and the outside world learning of their magical past. SwanxQueen
1. Interrogations, Part 1

**Disclaimer: If I owned "Once Upon a Time", I would've put Frozen on my show too, for Pete's sake! Why do Eddy and Adam get to have all the fun?!**

**In these early chapters, the characters will all be speaking, but addressing one person, in different times. This is the equivalent of a television cut-scene, and the characters will follow the chronological order that they speak in. For this chapter, it would be Mary Margaret, David, Emma and Regina. The attorney's deposition questions will all be in bold.**

**The Trials of Emma Swan**

**Interrogations, Part 1**

Each face that appeared held a separate, but similar expression when their chance came to meet the perfectly pressed and dressed attorney. Not one hair out of place, nor a wrinkle to be found. The man started with a simple introduction.

"**Hello, my name is Andrew Holmes, would you please state your name as it appears in this deposition?"**

"Mary Margaret Blanchard."

"David Nolan."

"I'm uh, Emma Swan. I think."

Turning to her lawyer, Regina whispered a question, which was promptly answered. Satisfied, she spoke into the microphone, "My name is Regina Mills."

"Do you know why you are here today?"

Mary Margaret retained complete seriousness in her reply. "I'm here to give honest answers, and provide my whereabouts and knowledge."

"Listen, I don't know what you think you know, but I'm innocent! There's no way I could've done the… whatever you're saying I did," David argues, before deflating his statement.

Spinning around in an office chair, nonchalantly, Emma muses, "I was a troubled youth in my time, it only makes sense that my dark past has come to light. It was me, with the candlestick… in the library. Clue is such an awesome game, by the way, Sherlock."

Again posing a question to her lawyer, Regina nods at several recommendations, before finally stating, "I suppose I'm here to answer any and all of your questions, Mr. Holmes."

**"Are you familiar with a man named Robin Hood?"**

"Uh yes, I knew him, I didn't speak to him much, but yes that name is recognizable."

"Yeah- wait a second, you're saying he's dead?" David asks, bluntly.

"Fuck yeah, I love that movie! Shame he had to die in real life, I liked him."

Pausing to take a deep breath, Regina looks straight into the camera, deadpanned. "We dated previously. When I learned he was married, I ended our relationship."

"**What was your relationship with Robin Hood like?"**

Taken aback by the repetitive question, Mary Margaret recovers. "We uh, we barely spoke to each other, but when we did, it was all on a positive note."

Confused by the question entirely, David blurted, "What relationship? I'm dating Mary Margaret! Oh wait, me and Robin Hood… um…. He uh, he liked to shoot things with an arrow. I kind of prefer using guns, but hey."

Feigning seriousness, while actually annoyed, Emma slowly confessed into the microphone, "I don't recall having one with him."

As her lawyer argued the validity of the question, Regina could be overheard asking, "Do I really have to answer the question? Really? Well, I can see we'll be done in no time at all. We were once sexual partners, he was actually a disgusting excuse for a human being, we went our separate ways, and he went back to his wife."

"**What is your current relationship status?" **

Proudly, Mary Margaret flashed her ring to the attorney, stating, "I'm happily engaged to David Nolan."

Disliking the personal nature of the question, David looked to his attorney accusingly, demanding the question be barred. When forced to answer, the deputy replied, "I'm currently engaged to be married to Mary Margaret Blanchard, not that it's anyone's business."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emma winked, rocking back and forth in her chair. After she was reprimanded and asked to answer the question, the blonde finally answered, "I'm single and ready to mingle."

Slamming her hand on the table, Regina laughed at the ridiculous question, repeating that it had nothing to do with the investigation. When she compared it to high school gossip, Holmes insisted she answer, or be criminally charged.

"At the moment, I am not dating anyone."

"**Have you ever had a dispute with Robin Hood?"**

"No, uhm, not that I can remember," Mary Margaret attempts to recall.

"Nope," David replies tersely, annoyed by the redundant and unnecessary questions. Seriously, how did his lawyer screw him over this badly to be stuck in a room with a wannabe Sherlock?

"Sometimes we'd argue over exactly how _much_ we should steal from the rich to give to the poor," Emma stated, in faux reflection. "You know that fucker Prince John had it coming to him when we took all his gold, the heartless bastard."

Staring straight down, much like a scolded child, Regina rolled her eyes while replying, "The only argument we had was about him wanting to be with me, when I found out he was married. We disagreed, I told him to take a hike. When he didn't, I told his wife. For the record, why is no one asking her what happened to him?" the brunette asks, straight to the camera.

"**Did you ever feel like retaliating against him (Robin Hood) due to your disagreements?"**

Shocked to be accused of such violence, Mary Margaret held a hand to her heart, slack jawed.

"I hardly knew him, I would never-!"

Pinching the bridge between his nose in frustration, David closes his eyes, sighing deeply. When he reopens them, he carefully states, "I don't recall ever having felt like…"

'Retaliating', his lawyer words, helping him remember the rest of the question.

"-Retaliating against him due to our disagreements," he finished, with an audible and deliberate yawn.

"He tried to sleep with my, uh, sister, Elsa. I kind of wanted to beat the shit out of him, but he got drunk one night," Emma half lied. "His tramp stamp is even better looking than Ruby's. It says, 'I'm a man whore' in perfect script."

Tight lipped, Regina glares at her inept lawyer, before responding, "I contemplated my revenge, but found that someone had already tattooed it right above his ass."

Considering Emma's response, Holmes then asks, **"Who is Ruby Lucas to you?"**

"We're good friends," the short haired woman answered immediately, turning a shade of pink.

"Ruby's a friend, a close one I'd say", David nods. When prompted as to why the question would make Mary Margaret blush, he answered honestly, "she once gave her a lap dance while drunk." The memory was a sweet victory.

With an, "_are you serious_" face to the camera, Emma replies, "Have you seen that girl's ass? It haunts me… I pray to it every night."

Bored, the brunette begins revolving slowly around in her chair. As she slowly reaches the center of the table again, Regina says, to no one in particular, "She's the town… treasure. It'd be safe to say everyone's got a small bit of her gold."

"**So, Miss Lucas is a, for lack of a better word, a prostitute?"**

Viciously shaking her head, Mary Margaret lets out a long, fast string of "no's." "Me and David are true to each other, we would never engage in anything outside our relationship."

Frustrated with the misleading trail of questions, David insists that the question is ridiculous, refusing to answer initially. After his lawyer and the attorney debate the obviousness of his prior answers, to the relevance to the case, he concedes, answering, "I've never had any sexual relations with Ruby Lucas, and to my knowledge, she does not sell her body for money."

Emma furrows her brow in confusion. "She offered to be fuck buddies for free, that's illegal now?"

With an angry huff, Regina referred to her counsel, before giving an answer.

"To my knowledge, Miss Lucas has never solicited sex for money. Personally, she makes great milk shakes, if you were to ask me."

"**Robin was apparently known for his alcoholism and autopsies showed a significant amount of alcohol in his system at his time of death. Do you yourself happen to drink?"**

Nodding along to the question, paying attention closely, the small woman stops short at the attorney's actual question. With an inquisitive look to her lawyer, she blatantly asks, "Wait, you're asking if I drink?" After some groans, and pleas for her to answer, Mary Margaret speaks into the microphone.

"I don't drink alcohol, because I am a school teacher, and I don't happen to like the taste very much."

Face down, David shakes his head, before lifting it to ask a question of his own.

"Can I get a drink right now? No? Damn…"

Surprised by the easy question, Emma eagerly responded, "Dude, I could out-drink that fucker, _then_ beat him in a game of darts. But I won't brag, because it's not nice to speak ill of the non-living."

Regina blinked, once. "I prefer apple cider," she deadpans. When asked if that's a metaphor or allusion to a specific alcoholic beverage, the dark haired woman began to argue with the attorney, questioning his credentials, and where he attained his degree. As she was pushed to clarify her answered, she blurted, rudely, "It's fucking apple juice, okay?"

"**And what about Henry Mills? How is he related to you?"**

The line of questioning was daunting and seemingly endless.

"I'm his teacher, and he's a bright, imaginative student. Anyone in town would tell you that."

Faking a guess, David snaps his fingers repetitively, as if the answer's almost there. "Henry, Henry, Henry rings a bell. I think he's one of my fiancée's students?"

Emma popped up, more alert than before, when asked a genuine question. "He's my kid."

"Henry happens to be my son."

To David and Mary Margaret, Holmes asked, **"Are Regina Mills and Emma Swan partners, or lovers?"** Similarly, he questioned Regina and Emma as to the nature of their relationship.

"**It's on record that you both raise Henry as co-parents, not two separate entities usually seen in adoption cases, where the biological parent is present. Is this because you two happen to be dating?"**

Clearing her throat in an attempt to stall, Mary Margaret glanced over to her lawyer, then back to the camera.

"I don't recall them being either."

Tiredly, David rubs at his eyes before answering through yawns, "No, Emma and Regina hate each other."

After he's asked to repeat himself several times, the brash man shouts, "God, grow some fucking ears, I said they hate each other!"

At the accusing implication, Emma lifts her eyebrow slightly. "Dating? Doesn't that count for harassment, or baiting or something?"

The query is maintained as relevant to the case, and Emma is prompted to give an answer.

"No, I did not sleep with that woman."

Regina attempts to leave, furious at the questioned even being considered. When her lawyer reminds her that the question is mandatory, she asks for more time.

They broke up for a half hour lunch, and upon their return Regina replied, "I don't recall ever dating Ms Swan."

"**Okay, I'm gonna play a video for you. What I'd like you to do is basically describe what's happening, and try to identify the people in it, alright?"**

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

"Finally, we're getting somewhere!"

"Why do I have a feeling this isn't actually going to be helpful in any way?"

"I'm compliant with anything that will move this case further along in the right direction, so yes."

After garnering their consent, the interrogator plays a video of two women in a compromising position, moaning audibly.

Trying to shut out the loud noises she hears coming out of nearly every speaker in the room, Mary Margaret attempts to look anywhere but at the screen, her face burning a dark shade of red.

"From the sounds of it, that uh, that sounds like porn. No, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it is- oh wow, that looks incredibly difficult, I wonder how she did that…"

When prompted to account for the identities of the participants, the flushed woman looks away, before deliberately lying.

"I have no idea who that could be."

"_Oh, God… oh baby, right there, yes-yes-yes-yes-!"_

"Can we like, lower that a bit, just maybe a tad? No? Okay, well the video's quite blurry to identify anyone, doing anything." Holmes reminds David that the copy was up-scaled to high definition, and clearly pictured Emma Swan and Regina Mills engaging in sexual relations.

"I dunno, I just-I don't see it."

Emma's face drops, after her prediction was correct. Part of her wants to laugh, the other worries who took the video without her consent, but she masks her internal fear through sarcasm.

"Can't say I know any of them, but that blonde chick seems like she knows what she's doing. If I had to guess, I'd say… they're fucking." Her attorney makes a face, and Holmes asks if that is her in the video.

"Are we allowed to keep these, to try and you know, examine them for clues? No? Well, I'm suing for defamation of character and slander, bitch."

Closing her eyes, and trying not to revel in the perfect sounds the blonde made in the video, Regina took deep, steady breaths to adjust herself accordingly before answering."Is this really what I was pulled out of my office for, to hang out for amateur porn hour- wait hold on." Hoping whatever perverted cameraman that stole this surveillance tape got the right shot, Regina looked on for the expectant 'I'm coming' face Emma always made. Somehow HD made it feel a little better. Reveling in the slow rise and fall in the blonde's chest, the politician turned to her lawyer, in confidence.

"I can't say I know who the people are in the video with one hundred percent accuracy, no."

"**So, that is the end of my line of questions, thank you for your time."**

* * *

><p>Waiting in what appeared to be a mom and pop shop, but secretly was as a front entrance to Granny's dinner, each collective head looks up, as Regina Mills head finally pops into the forum, finally returning from her deposition. It was really close, but they all separately knew, they threw the dogs off for at least one more night. No one from the outside world had learned about their world, and the only thing plaguing Maine's finest cops was Emma and Regina's sketchy relationship. It was almost as if they didn't care that a murder itself occurred.<p>

As the Mayor of Storybrooke entered the diner, she was met with strong arms hugging the life out of her, loving kisses peppered all over her face.

"Ms. Swan, just remember now we have witnesses, apparently. Someone's got the beat on us."

"Someone's got the beat on shit, baby. Those dumbass cops worry more about us than fucking doing their actual jobs. Shit was creepy man, seeing that video."

Piping up, and clearing her throat, Snow had to agree. "It wasn't any fun watching you defile our daughter, while having to pretend you don't know her, just saying."

With a long slug of his drink, Charming agreed, "Yeah, that video was something I hoped I'd never see in my life. Oh well, I guess I should be happy the Queen's giving you the royal treatment, huh?"

Emma shrugs, before replying, "Just consider it payback for missing out on my diaper days, and rebellious phase. But seriously, when are these guys gonna leave? Someone dies for the first time, now it's a matter of national security? How are they not supposed to find out about us if they decide to swarm the place?"

"I suppose we'll just have to keep distracting them, dear?" Regina jokes, smirking. "It's not like they're going to stop anytime soon, at least this way, _we're_ in control."

"So, on top of doing re-con, you wanna act blatantly suspicious? No wonder Henry loves you…" the blonde chuckled.

"Just, uh no more homemade porn if you could, that'd be great," Snow butts in, trying to make light of another mystery.

"Yeah, that was quite awkward. Do you guys have any clue who could've done that? I mean, I understand how the FBI could have access to our office, but to have that exact video, c'mon. They'd be going through thousands of "kitten stuck in tree" cases. Is somebody working with them, you know, that's part of our world?"

Sharing a knowing look, Emma jerked her head, as if asking, before Regina nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, we had one person in mind, but he's kind of dead, so back to the lab again. Unless…" Emma mused darkly.

"So, calling Henry before you go?" Charming reminds his daughter, knowing all too well the pensive look that meant she had a lead, and was planning on following it.

"Yeah, yeah pops, I'm on it," the blonde murmurs, before pulling out her phone and excusing herself.

"Regina, this seems pretty serious, and dangerous. I mean, we're all in the middle of a murder investigation right now," the pixie haired brunette worries.

"I know," the former Queen reassures, slightly sighing. "However, there's no need to worry, we all have each other's back, and we're going to fight back to keep our town safe from intruders. We just have to stick together. It appears we may be in need for a town hall meeting."

"That we can do," Charming concludes, preparing to leave with Snow. "So, we're on the lookout for Henry while he's on his study date, and you're on Emma watch. Don't have too much fun finding your perp."

"No promises," Regina replies, sending off the Charmings with a hug. They leave, bumping into Emma on her way back, giving her a hug and kiss goodbye.

Reaching her destination, Emma wraps her arms around her lover's waist, a smile befitting only a true Charming.

"Babe, you ready to play paparazzi?" she nuzzles, kissing Regina's cheek softly.

"With you, always," the brunette replied truthfully, before continuing, "Your parents are worried about you, sweetheart. In most cases, I'd take your side, but I have to agree, are you sure you want to do this, with everyone on alert?"

"What, you mean have a hot make-out session in that otherwise forbidden Benz of yours? C'mon, that's almost always," Emma teases, before seeing Regina's scolding expression.

"I just want you to be safe, dear. These sad excuses for law enforcement may annoy me, but they give me just cause to be concerned. They're on a witch hunt for a suspect that will get headlines. While I'd love the idea of breaking you out, I can't afford to get you imprisoned. Your side of the bed is already getting cold, and you know I hate that."

"Babe, you're forgetting the jump-suits and the conjugal visits…" Emma strung out, before grabbing the keys in one hand, excitedly taking Regina's in the other. "Plus, this place is already like a prison, we have to hide half the time we go out together."

It was true. The Sheriff was starting to feel a little paranoid after having to move her covert meetings with Regina. Henry's old playground was found, and the patrol station was now leaking security tapes apparently. Emma knew loving a former Evil Queen wasn't going to be an easy feat, but it slowly was becoming more and more burdensome on the town to do so; all of their secrets threatened to come out if they weren't careful.

* * *

><p>Wet heat was all that could be felt in the air, as Emma whipped her hair back in pure ecstasy. Everything about her life had changed, everything, but her love for the woman currently underneath her, writhing and moaning at her ministrations. With all the craziness in town, they'd stolen kisses wherever they could, their shared intimate moments in the dark.<p>

"God you feel so amazing Emma," Regina encouraged, rubbing at her lover's shoulders gently, while she pounded a foreign member inside her rhythmically. Usually anytime they were together, Regina just needed anything Emma, a hand, a soft tongue. These days, she used magic to bring them closer, because for all their efforts, it was getting harder to distract the Savior. True Love faced an equal opponent in fear, and more often than naught, it was winning over Regina's better half.

Burying her head in the span of Regina's neck, Emma appreciatively slides her enchanted cock, slowly inside her lover's burning heat, pulling out slowly. A particular moan tells the blonde she's hit a sweet spot, and she eases into a methodical pattern of pushes, pulls, and thrusts that threaten to steal the Mayor's vocal chords.

"Anything for- for my Queen," Emma chatters, reveling in the delicious warmth and tug on her body, her heart, her soul. Minus the occasional scratches, Emma Swan was permanently branded 'property of Regina Mills'.

"The Queen of Hearts is my mother, Swan. I'm no Queen, dear" Regina rushes, noticing the sense of urgency in Emma's pace, silently thanking a higher power that she'd gotten this far.

"You're the Queen… gah… of my heart, baby," Emma groans, leaning her head against Regina's to concentrate on her mission of eliciting any and all glorious sounds possible from the brunette. Her body was electric against the regal Queen, static jerks and volts of pleasure hitting her on all levels, until she felt an earthly quake underneath her.

"Oh my God, oh my God Emma," Regina cried out, gripping her Savior close, as Emma frantically quivered and pulsated, desperate for her beloved's release. Throbbing erratically, the White Knight dove to her Queen, capturing her lips in a passionate, raw kiss.

If either of them tried to describe it, they'd both call it reaching for a piece of heaven. The blonde could never get enough of the Mayor's breathtaking form when she'd reach her peak. For her part, Regina felt small explosions everywhere when she'd catch the Sheriff's eyes roll back a little, biting her lip hard in an attempt to muffle her grunts.

She thought it was perfect, and never wanted it to end. The sad truth was, that everything good always did for her. In the chaos that's overtaken the town, the person the Queen loved most felt the most pain. The distractions weren't as much for her pleasure, than to reduce Emma's pain.

Fiercely kissing her protector, Emma felt a push at her chest as Regina lifted herself up, attempting to straddle the blonde against the back seat.

"Babe, babe, I can tell you're tired-" she starts, before her sassy girlfriend eases herself carefully onto her length, gasping and clenching softly at the intrusion.

With a smirk, Regina replies "My mother always said I rode like a man, sweetheart."

"Fu-fuck baby," Emma shudders, as Regina begins a roughly blistering pace. She's building her up again one more time, just to break her down so lovingly. When a hollow mewl of pleasure escapes her lips, Regina's there to hold her, breaths coming few and far between.

In her arms, the Queen knew her Knight was safe, because she was pushing for an all-nighter. Emma wasn't going to sleep, because she knew the woman wouldn't, she couldn't. Regina would give up her entire kingdom and every title she held to take away the pain, the nightmares. For as much as the brunette tried, her new normal included trying to calm an untamable beast that parasitically latched itself to the blonde. As happy as Emma Swan could make her, nothing broke her heart more than too see the love of her life break down each and every night.

**I'd say 'poor Emma' if it weren't for the fact that she's dating Regina. xD**

**So, what do you think? Review for more! :D**


	2. Interrogations, Part 2

**Disclaimer: WHHHHHYYYY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD did Regina sleep with that rogue bludger Robin Hood, of all people? And did Elsa just teach Emma to let it gay…? Told ya, I don't own Once, or for that matter, Frozen.**

**In short, I kindof love the Frozen arc. Sure makes up for the bullshit going on with the main crew much more tolerable. xD**

**Interrogations, Part 2**

With her most polite smile, and professional demeanor, the Mayor folded her hands promptly on the counter of Granny's diner, ready to address the masses.

"Now that we're all sworn in, and accounted for, I call this town meeting into order. While usually we first address our concerns, there is one issue that needs to be brought to everyone's attention. We have a traitor in our midst, one who is currently working with state authorities to make sure our past lives are exposed to the public. Snow, David and I are working to eliminate the threat, but any and all information would be crucial to our success. After all, we are in this with you, we want answers just as much as anyone else does."

Sensing their sketchy wording, Leroy voiced his concern, to the pleasure of a few in the group. "Why isn't Emma on this expedition with you guys, or even for the matter, Ruby? She's the most decorated Sheriff we've ever had, and little Red's basically a police canine. I mean, put them together, and our mystery would've been solved."

Emma glared at the former dwarf, and stared off anywhere but directly at her girlfriend in protest. She'd promised to take it easy, to ensure Henry's safety during the investigation, despite knowing it was really her wellbeing that was being guarded. With the rapid increase of her night terrors, Regina refused to let Emma run out in the line of fire; it was simply too dangerous, and the Queen wasn't ready to play a game of chance with the Sheriff's life.

At the sound of her name, Ruby defended herself. "I'm a decoy, Leroy. My job is to run the station calls while they're gone, and keep up appearances to the press. Ya know, the ditsy skank routine?"

"Oh, that was an act, you say?" Leroy jeered. Getting heated, the voices crowding the room begin to grow louder and louder with dissent.

Knocking her glass hard on the table, Regina shouted for order, getting none in return, until Charming turned on his bull horn, and held the speaker button, emitting an ear-splitting noise.

"Hey, no need to start with that crap. I already can't hear in one ear, you trying to make me fully deaf?" Granny complained.

"Listen, we can't afford to fight, we're a unit, a family!" David pleaded. "We're still not out of the dark with Robin's Merry Men, and they're likely to be behind this, to avenge their brother's death. Remember, if they believe Maiden Marion's statement, Regina could be taken from us, which is a loss we can't afford. I'm asking you, as a father, please everyone, calm down."

"Lovely speech, mate," a sole voice said in the crowd. Stepping out of the large group, Captain Hook revealed himself with a smile.

"Killian, good to see you," Snow breathed, in relief. The pirate's presence meant news, and good or bad, news was what they needed.

"Have you found anything new then, Hook?" Regina inquired, curious.

"Ah yes, I did." With a look to Emma, who folded her arms, waiting, Killian cleared his throat.

"The Merry Men have Marion, and they've collaborated with her story, which is that his death was a tragic accident. They have all sworn to keep their silence, if we give them what they want."

"Oh yeah, that's a good one," Emma snarls, knowing all too well Little John's tactics. He'd want Regina's head on a platter, or worse Henry. Storybrooke's fight against the ever dividing Enchanted Forest was going to continue until more innocent blood was shed, all in the name of magic.

"You're right Swan, it's a farce. The only offer they are accepting is a blood sacrifice, a life for a life, namely yours."

Cutting in to shut down any form of argument or debate, Regina immediately replies, "That's not happening. We can fight them in a court room, but we're not stooping to their thug-like tactics. They attacked us, we defended ourselves, and they're just going to have to live with that. And for that matter, the in house fighting does nothing to preserve our town, our kingdom."

"Yeah, Hook, if they want me, tell them I'll be right here. I'm not afraid of any of those jerks," Emma challenged, pushing herself off of the back wall she was leaning on, but held back by Regina's arm.

"Miss Swan, we're not here to start a war, we're trying to stop one before things get out of hand," the Mayor tried to reason.

"Why not give yourself up, huh 'Savior'? It'd save us a lot of trouble," Sidney Glass' voice rang out.

"That's because she's my sister, you douche, and you'd be smart not to speak anymore," another familiar face exclaimed, as the residents of Storybrooke let Elsa into the diner. With Anna and Henry in tow, the young sorceress walked past Glass, making sure to freeze the flask he held in his hands as she walked over to Emma.

With a pout, as this was obviously the work of Regina to make up for her being a background figure, Emma stomped out of the diner with a resounding slam, earning a shout from Granny. Worried, Anna trailed after her, ensuring Regina and Elsa that she wouldn't let the blonde stray too far.

She found Emma across the street from the diner, kicking her yellow bug in frustration, as of course, Regina took her keys.

"Fuuuck why can't you guys leave me alone, I'll be okay! I'm not gonna jump off a bridge, or- or go after the Merry Men, alright?"

"Emma…" Anna hesitated, noticing Emma's hands stirring up in frenzy and slowly quelling, as she assessed there was no threat.

"Anna, I know. I get it, you've been there, but I don't want anyone to die for me. I just want it to be over. There's all this pain and chaos with the town, and I'm tired of everyone treating me with kid gloves!"

"Don't listen to Sidney, you know he's just looking to stir you up out of jealousy. Everything's will work out-"

Uncharacteristically, Emma snapped, "It can't! It can't, it won't, and I'm not gonna sugar coat this like everyone else, because I killed someone. I killed a man in cold blood, and I can't live with myself anymore!"

"Emma, it was an accident, and no one could blame you. You saved everyone, Henry, Regina, they would've died if it weren't for you. I know it's hard to believe right now, but you're not a villain, you never were, nor will you be. For goodness sake, you're The Savior!"

"I'm no Savior," Emma bitterly replied, "I'm a monster. Everyone in that room stands to get hurt, all because of me, and my own girlfriend doesn't trust me to go anywhere by myself. Hell, I don't even know what I'd do, probably leave town. Mom and dad are being cheery all the time, even more than usual. It sucks. You can't understand that, I'd never wish it on you or my worst enemy, this feeling."

Heartbroken at the revelation, Anna is initially shell shocked, and at a loss from words. In the corner of her eye, she can see Regina across the street, concerned etched into her usually hard features.

"You're right, I may never understand what it's like, to be different, or feel alone. Despite this, I know for a fact that this family will _never_ shun you, that we will love you no matter what. You have two crazy optimistic parents, a beautiful son, who's growing up to be wonderful young man, and an amazing girlfriend, whom I fully expect to propose to you within the year," Anna chuckled, forcing a reluctant laugh from Emma, who couldn't fight a smile.

"Maybe we weren't here at first, but you have me and Elsa as well. Kristoff too, you know, when he's not babysitting the town exit. We all want to help you get through this, because you're _our _hero, whether you like it or not."

Stepping aside to let Regina into the picture, Anna gives Emma a reassuring pat on the back before making her exit.

Sighing exasperatedly, Emma gives in slightly. "I wasn't going to leave any time soon, I just hate feeling so… helpless. And I won't risk anyone getting hurt, but I want to fight back. After all it's my fault that this is all happening."

Regina knew, and apart from most of the town, she could relate to her girlfriend's dilemma. She once intentionally killed the person who kept her from turning completely eye with the bat of an eye once she caught a glimpse of power. Still, the former Evil Queen wouldn't lie, there was never a time where she'd wake up in a cold sweat, screaming like someone was trying to murder her in her sleep. Even during the day, sometimes Emma's heart would ache. Much like she said, that was a feeling no one else in Storybrooke could claim to have but Emma.

"Sweetheart, it is utterly ridiculous to think of taking on these rouges without your power. We'd be no match, but I know you're hurting darling, and your powers will be affected as a result. I'm just afraid-"

"Afraid of what," Emma panicked, assuming the worst, "afraid that I'll hurt someone else?"

"No, I'm scared that I pushed you that night. After all, you only acted in love, but sometimes Fate is not so forgiving. I fear I may have tainted your heart permanently."

"It doesn't matter," Emma mutters. "We went against the book, there was always gonna be a snag somewhere when we got together."

"Nonetheless, I had a hunch, and I didn't think any harm would come in checking, down in the vault."

"I'm on Henry duty, no?" the Sheriff pointed out, playfully mocking her lover.

Returning her sass with an equal amount of eye rolling, Regina looked around carefully before she snapped her fingers, bringing Emma and Henry with her, down to her dungeon.

"Woah, ma, what happened to that warning we talked about when you use magic? Just a warning, please!" the teen protested, slightly annoyed.

"Kid, why do you always think it was me, that was Regina just so you know," Emma whined right back.

"Oh yeah, I should've noticed that I didn't land in a swamp, sorry Ma," Henry teased to his mothers' disapproval.

"Well honey, I don't think he wants a part of the Operation we were planning from the sounds of it, does he?"

Confused, Emma turns to see Regina's pointed stare, before catching her drift, clumsily adding, "Uh yeah, insulting my magic's no way to getting out of being babysat by your grandparents. We got something pretty cool planned instead, right Regina?"

"Ma, you have no idea what's going on, but I'll forget that if I can also keep having my study dates… with Jake."

"What kindof dates are we talking here, dates-dates, or _dates_-dates?" Emma questioned to a confused Henry, finding no support in a jaw slacked Regina.

"Who's Jake, and why don't we know about him sweetheart? Did you think we would be upset, because we love and su-"

"Support me no matter who I love," Henry recited, calmly, in an effort to reassure his worried mother. "It's not about support, you just, you wouldn't get it even if I tried to explain it."

In an attempt to comfort her distressed lover, Emma placed a single hand on Regina's shoulder, before addressing Henry as a unit.

"Try us."

"Okay, well for starters, Peter Pan is dead," Henry quickly replied, before continuing, "but the body he kept wasn't his own, it was someone from the Enchanted Forest. When Pan did this, he froze in time-"

"Are you trying to say the little green bastard is back, kid?"

It sounded confusing unless this were true, otherwise what was Henry going on about? Was he starting to crack from the stresses of the town's internal divide?

"No, his body is. An exact copy of it was frozen in time during the Dark Curse, while Pan was in Neverland, but he hasn't returned. You see, the original owner of that body, his curse name was Jacob, and he lives in Storybrooke."

Stumped, Regina and Emma look to each other, telepathically questioning each other how to tackle this crazy sounding situation. On one hand, it all sounded ludicrous, but Peter Pan was a conniving opponent. There wasn't much they'd put past him. Mentally agreeing to a rapid-fire Q and A, they turn their gaze back to an expecting Henry.

"How did you meet Jake, and why didn't you tell us when you found all of this out, dear?" Regina started, doing her best to sound understanding, and not scolding.

"We have Math and Gym class together, and he was disguised. He knows about Pan from everything the town, and tried to leave town when we returned from Neverland. If you met him, you'd be able to tell they're nothing alike. I've met his parents, and not only are they in the storybook, they have a kid they named Jacob."

"How'd you know he wasn't lying about that so you wouldn't have him killed?"

"Because, I've seen that face he made when I accidentally knocked his hat off; he thought that I'd hurt him. And I've everyone knows I've got your superpower, mom." Henry replied, with a cheeky grin.

They could tell he'd cover his bases; seeing as not only would dating Pan be wrong in thousands of ways, Henry stood to get attacked by the town by being seen in close contact with someone who so much as appeared to be suspicious. On top of that, Henry was a former victim of the evil teen, and would only be paranoid about the events.

"So…" Emma interjected awkwardly. "Let me get this straight. This guy looks exactly like a guy that tried to steal your heart, but isn't him… and you like him."

"I know, I'm crazy," Henry conceded, as his face fell. Noticing the pain in his eyes, the two mothers sought to clear up the confusion quickly. It wasn't that they didn't believe or support Henry, they just knew several people disliked them enough to hit them where it hurt the most: their tight knit family.

"You're not crazy, you're half Emma Swan," his mother joked with a playful shade towards her blonde counterpart. "That just means you can't resist the Dark side, if you could help it. But we want to meet him, if you're seriously pursuing this, and on that note, for not telling us about Jake-" Regina puffed up, then deflated at Emma's expression, a hand sliding across her throat, suggesting she let him off.

"Yes, as punishment for not telling us about Jake, we're showing him your baby pictures, kid," Emma finished for the Mayor, hurriedly. "But I have an even more important issue, besides you not telling us about something you were clearly hurting about. Be serious: are you active?"

Ignoring the dark sorceress' expression of half fear, half '_what in God's name are you doing Swan, I'm not ready to have this conversation'_, the Sheriff held her gaze at a shifting Henry. Honesty was a big thing in their family, and after Neal, Emma made herself an open book, even at Regina's expense, to passionately teach him about love. They'd had the talk already, and Emma had a feeling her boy was keeping his promise that he'd be honest with them about his relationships, if it ever were to go that far.

"Ma, I'm seventeen."

"Oh God, I was not ready for that, I'm gonna make myself a forgetfulness potion-"

"No, mom," Henry tried to comfort his nervous mother, as he himself felt the burning blush on his face grow. "I mean, I want to, someday-but I haven't. It's scary, because I was expecting a whole different reaction I guess."

"I see the effects of having two mothers clearly rubbed off on you," Regina stated in light sarcasm, before turning to her lover with a smirk. "Shall we?"

Feigning surprise, Emma shouted, "Oh my God, you're gay!"

"Bi, actually," Henry corrected, before being steamrolled by his now mocking parents.

"What have we done, we failed at parenting," Regina pretends to sob. "How are we going to raise such a rebellious child, who is only going to turn to drugs, cults and casual sex?"

"I may have made a mistake."

"Regina, baby I let him wear a pink shirt one time- oh God, this is my fault!"

"Hey, you said the color was more a salmon, and that I looked good in it!" Henry rebutted, feeling the initial fear he had drain from him, and in its place, glee, and normal teenage embarrassment. _'Leave it to the Swan-Mills clan to have a normal dating talk'_, the young boy thought. Still, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Okay, I get it. Our family accepts, everyone, weirdness and all," the teen whined, ears red from the awkwardness of talking to his parents about his love life.

"Henry, you're not weird for liking a boy-"

"Yeah, we thought you were way weird even before that," Emma teased, winking at Regina, who rolled her eyes at her perpetual child of a girlfriend.

"Says the mom who confessed it was weirdly hot whenever the other mom got upset," Henry sassed in turn, to a now slight gaping, and flushed Emma.

"You're grounded," Emma says with finality.

Pouting at her sensitive girlfriend, Regina points out that if they ground Henry, he can't participate in Operation Chameleon, nor can they meet his- boyfriend?

"Wait, are you guys even dating?" the Sheriff inquired, wanting to fill the gaps on what experiences they may have missed, and how much catching up they need to do.

"I know he likes me, and I like him back, but… I'm dunno. Aside from who he looks like… what if he doesn't like me back?"

Folding her arms carefully, to study Henry's features, Emma couldn't feel more confident in her son, but he needed to find it in himself.

"I guess we're gonna need an Operation all our own then, don't we kid? How about we call it Operation… Tiger."

Noticing the wide eyed, excited face Emma made, he appealed to his more rational parent.

"Shouldn't have told her, should I?"

"Nope," the former Queen blurts, dashing to hide any alcoholic beverages in the instance Emma wanted to kick back, have a drink with her boy, and give him dating advice, all while belting out "Don't Stop Believin" at the top of her lungs. Considering that she had to live in a world where her son could be sexually active, Regina wasn't quite ready to also include underage drinking and ruining her favorite classic songs.

Oh crap, Henry was growing up. They were going to teach him how to appeal to a boy that apparently resembled one of their arch-enemies.

Well, now Regina needed a drink, she thought to herself.

**So uh yeah… that's what's up with Emma and the nightmares.**

**It was really hard thinking of someone in teen Henry's age bracket to date, so I ret-conned Peter Pan and gave him a Storybrooke counterpart. I dunno if that's creepy, awkward or both…**

**Who likes the Swan-Mills family dynamic? I know I do! :D**


	3. Awkward Meetings

**[Hey guys, this is MeLlamoSammo, and this is my new username, SwanQueenOnDeck. The old username was an iCarly reference gone bad; everyone assumed I was Spanish speaking. xD]**

**Disclaimer: I'm in a bit of a career slump, so writing for Once Upon a Time would be a dream come true. Sadly, I don't own the show, or any of its characters.**

**I really do appreciate any and all of my reviews, fans and followers. This is all coming at a time where I'm not very confident in much, save for my girlfriend, btcscharmedgirl. She is an amazing supporter and understands my passion for writing. So, thank you for all of the support over the years, guys. :D**

**Awkward Meetings**

Car parked outside of this "Jake" person's house, Emma Swan gave Henry a look that could only spell trouble.

"I'll see you later, Ma-" Henry rushes, in an attempt to get out of the car before-

"Uh- uh, I wanna meet this... Jake. You said he looks like Pan, but he's not. No one's excluded from my superpower, and you're not getting away with me not meeting him at least."

"_Our_ superpower," her son emphasized.

"Plus, your mother would kill me if I let you into a house that holds your psychotic great grandfather."

"Well, he's right there for the taking, if you were wondering."

As Emma glances out of the car, she notes the predictable toothy grin that seemingly belonged to one of her worst nightmares. It was odd to see the young teen, in normal clothing. With a simple coif in his hair, a flannel button up, and denim jeans, Emma was starting to see Henry's point. The kid was one obscure band name from being an average seventeen year old boy.

"Funny, he never came out of the house before."

"I did tell him you wanted to meet him, in the flesh, because I know mom would probably kill you if you didn't come home with absolute proof that I wasn't falling for my great grandfather."

"Dude, I gotta say, that sounded totally weird," Emma muttered quietly.

"It felt weird just to say," Henry agreed. As the figure of their attention approached the car, Emma breathed in deeply, before confronting one of her biggest fears as a mother. The battle of nurturing versus protecting was always a fine line that she and Regina walked with Henry, and she had to be sensitive to his feelings while protecting him. That being said, Jake's firm handshake, and a smile lacking any form of malice caught her off guard completely.

"Hi, Miss Swan, I'm Jake," that voice she knew all too well uttered. Surprisingly, there were no eyebrow curls or lifts with his speech, a Peter Pan signature.

Taken back by his forwardness, and not being entirely ready for this meeting, Emma hastily glues a smile to her features, in support of Henry.

"Miss Swan sounds so old, just call me Emma," she replied sheepishly, to a now blushing teen who began to babble over his words.

"I'm sorry- I didn't mean any offense, I was just trying to be polite-" he panicked.

"Kid, I've heard worse. I also heard a birdy say that you're a town recluse, and that you have to live in fear of going outside? Is that true?" the blonde looked on, in concern. She couldn't help but watch his face fall, and felt hers follow suit.

"I uh, I figured you of all people would want to know, seeing as I'm interested in your son," Jake confesses, to a cautious Henry, and a slightly wary Emma.

"I came into existence a long time after Pan, so much so that he doesn't actually exist in the book, I do. However, I was merely a child when the curse struck, and when it broke, I could finally age. Funny enough, I think I'm the only person who's actually needed to repeat sixth grade twenty eight times in order to pass it," he jokes, fondly remembering his past life.

Leering, Emma leaned in to meet the teen's gaze, looking for any slip, any crack in his otherwise fool-proof story. Besides her paramour giving her full permission to talk the kids' ears off, and give them a talk that'd embarrass them so much, they wouldn't so much as touch the other, Emma wanted to break the ice for Henry. Regina may protest, but the blonde couldn't help being a wingman for her well behaved son. They were lucky they didn't have a daughter; Regina'd only dote on her more, and would require Emma to carry a shotgun on her to have this conversation. Noting the gun still holstered to her belt, Emma rethinks her assessment.

"Why do you like my son, of all people in the town? Why him?" Emma asked, to a wide-eyed Henry.

"Ma, boundaries!" the embarrassed teen whispered. Leaning in to reassure him, she quickly replied, "be cool, I got this."

"I- I do like your son, genuinely. We talk, and he doesn't look at me like a monster- well, at first he did, but when I told him who I was, he believed me."

"He's quite remarkable, with his imagination, and hope. It's refreshing to see his smile."

At the words, Jake couldn't help but give one of his own, staring definitively at the subject of their conversation, who was fighting the lump in his throat, the beating of his heart threatening to rip from his chest, anxiously. Either his mother was going to like him or not, but if she didn't give the nod, he'd have to let Jake go. Remembering one of the last times he deliberately went against his parent's wishes, Henry felt hard-pressed to make a fatal choice twice in his lifetime.

Remembering the Heart of the Truest Believer, Emma held a cautious hand to her side, hovering over her gun.

"Henry told me some of the things that Peter Pan did to him, and I swear on my life I wouldn't touch a hair on his head. It's already hard enough for him, being the son of the Mayor and the Sheriff, always being a target. Liking guys doesn't make it any easier with the bullying, or the rumors if people were to find out. Plus, I've heard the stories about his moms, I don't think I'd want either of you taking my heart, so there's that."

A pang of guilt hit Emma, before she could process his sentence fully. While she and Regina practically waltzed around like they owned the place, Jake believed Henry would have a hard life being bisexual, because people wouldn't be understanding. They'd fear him, but not out of respect for him, more so reverence to who his parents were.

Henry noticed her pause, and interjected, "Thanks Jake, but I'm not ashamed to be myself, I'm proud of my parents. And you, if we were ever, got together..." the young Believer said, his voice descending with each word.

The blonde could thank God for Hook's appearance a few blocks away, seemingly on the hunt for her. "I've- I've got to go kid. It's us, serious Operation Chameleon business to take care of, alright? Now you guys talk it out, and be honest with each other. You," Emma targeted, with a knowing parental glare, "Call me if anything. I want your homework done first, if you're gonna suck face for the rest of the night."

"Jeez ma, could you get any more awkward?" Henry winced, while Jake was of no help, as he began to find the ground more fascinating to focus on.

While he watched his mom run over to talk to Killian, he turned to Jake, nonchalantly, stating, "Yeah, that's the more relaxed mom, Emma. My other mom, well, you'll be feeling that third degree a little more than that."

"I look forward to it."

"So, what're we doing?" the son of the bravest women in town asked boldly, despite himself.

"Oh, I thought you heard your mother, we're going to do our homework, then suck face for the rest of the night," Jake said lightheartedly, in an attempt to soften the mood. It was awkward, now they'd just have to deal. The truth was out, now they could be themselves, and breathe.

* * *

><p>"Swan," Killian exhales sharply, as he jogs over to her quickly. "Thank God I found you."<p>

"Great, sounds like some good stuff Hook," Emma blurted distractedly, looking over to Henry and _not_ Peter Pan in deep conversation. When she meets his pained expression, she scrunches her eyebrows.

"That's not Pan, by the way-"

"I know, it's some kid from the curse who had a terrible case of bad luck," the Captain rushed, before explaining, "He and I crossed paths, once. I'm regretful to have hit an actual kid, if I may be honest. So, um, are we interrupting something important?"

"You call it interrupting, I call it parenting. Well, at least they know they like each other."

"That's… strange," Hook admitted.

"Don't I know it," Emma breathed. "So, what're you in a rush to find me for?"

"Oh right. Swan, your sister's gone barking mad. She bloody well confessed and turned herself over to the police!"

"What? What the hell was she thinking?" Emma shrieked, hysterically.

"If you'd stayed at the meeting, you'd know the Merry Men were not joking, and neither was I. Apparently, she's perpetrating a ruse to stay in our prison, for you. That means, if you and Regina are any closer to solving your mystery, the time to solve it would be now," Hook declared, resolute.

"Elsa can't, I can't leave her there, not for something I did," Emma replied, growing tense.

"No, I know it's not the most ideal of situations, but with David, and Mary Margaret it'll be a little stay away from home until our town gets off the country radar. You know they summoned more people for questioning, right? This could go to trial, if we don't nip this in the bud sooner. I don't see why Regina doesn't whip up one of her Forgetfulness Potions-"

"I said this already, that's a coward's way out, Killian."

"On any occasion, your boy seems to be getting along fine," he notes, as they both turn to observe Henry being invited into Jake's house.

"I just thought you needed to know what's going on in the town. Personally, I think Regina's making a mistake in keeping you guarded," Captain Hook resumes, bringing them back to their prior conversations.

"She's just protecting me," Emma replied, almost citing the powerful woman verbatim. "And I've got leads of my own, okay?"

"Yes, that's why you've been trailing Sidney, right?" the pirate teased. "You know he's suspicious, but he's your wife's lapdog, so I guess that changes everything."

Pushed a little much for her liking in the past few days, the rogue's words hit her square, forcing her to act, half on anger, half on instinct. Pushed a little much for her liking in the past few days, the rogue's words hit her square, forcing her to act, half on anger, half on instinct. Making her way back to the yellow bug, she mutters an audible, "Fuck off, Hook," before ripping open the door to her Volkswagon, slamming it with purpose.

Now _that_ was his Swan, the one- handed man could only think, as he pulled out his talking phone with a smirk. Regina could only protect the woman so much, and he knew it would kill Emma to stay behind the scenes while everyone made decisions for her. It was no way for a Savior to live, if he'd ever been one. Besides, she wasn't going to hurt anyone, it was merely a good distraction to interrogate the town reporter.

* * *

><p>Ignoring the fact that he'd been shot for the seventh time, Henry waited for his soldier to regain his life, before trekking out into the dangerous field, firing bullets and sporadically throwing grenades to keep Jake's character on guard.<p>

"You know, I don't remember playing videogames being on the itinerary for tonight. What happened to that Math test on Friday?"

"Easy," Henry replied, nonchalantly. "What'd you get for the first problem?"

"Easy. I," Jake replied with ease.

Peering over at his answer, Henry politely replies, "No, you uh, you forgot to finish the equation, there's an equal sign. Next one, I got uh, x equals y, you?"

"Like."

"… Okay, what do you like? You're starting to sound a little like you need the studying," Henry chuckled, to the smiling teen.

"You," he finished shyly, losing his confidence midway. His growing blush only gave the normally reserved boy more incentive to lean closer.

"_Remember, when it feels right, go for it,"_ he can recall his brave mom advising him. "_Don't be scared to take a risk if it leads to your happiness." _If the Mayor of Storybrooke, formerly the worst person in town, could find love, then why couldn't he?

"Tell me not to, and I won't kiss you. We can still be best friends, no hard feelings," Jake whispered into Henry's ear, innocently. The softness in his voice, the consideration for everything he's been through. Hardly anyone besides his parents could understand the feeling of being under an unwanted spotlight, never anyone that he'd been interested in before he'd met the very face that previously haunted his dreams.

"Go for it," Henry whispered back, immediately finding himself drawn into a new, mind-numbing experience.

Fireworks, adrenaline rushes, butterflies in someone's stomach, frogs in their throat, steeply dropping from a roller coaster ride. Henry _understood_ what his parents in part tried to prepare him for, and felt them all, like a train wreck of emotions, one car piling into the other. One kiss turned into more, and two kisses melded to four. For the first time in his life, he'd kissed someone, who was kissing him back.

When a foreign tongue darted out to brush against his lip, reality managed to hit him square. His parents hardly taught him a thing, they never mentioned anything about tongues, or anything beyond handholding, except for the explicit, graphic talk that Emma made him swear not to tell Regina they had. It was nothing he wouldn't learn in school, but they said nothing about how to do any of those things _well_. Drawing for a blank, Henry drew back slowly, face flush a beet red.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't bad. I just, I've never done this-" he attempts to reassure the just as nervous boy, who looked surprised upon their parting.

"Don't be, that's part of a new relationship, learning how to kiss." The eyebrow, oh God, he did the- the _thing with his eyebrow_!

"_It's not Pan, even Rumplestiltskin proved he was dead to you. Jake's just messing around." _Henry had to remind himself, to fight his anxiety.

"Well, I did promise mom that I'd do some studying," the younger boy tried to joke.

"I'm no expert, but I'd be willing to learn with you."

"You want to be with me, to be boyfriends, the whole nine yards?" Henry wondered, assessing the situation.

"If you'll have me, then yeah, I'm your guy. Henry Swan-Mills' boyfriend, signed, sealed and delivered. Now, where do I sign?"

**So Henry's got a boyfriend now! How Regina and Emma will cope with sharing their boy ought to be interesting.**

**Emma's got plenty of leads, and don't think this mystery is quite solved. Literally no one is who they seem, which is quite humorous, as Jake is definitely NOT Peter Pan (someone please tell Henry this, along with his parents!)**

**I didn't expect to add Henry, but I didn't wish to discard him, as he's a core member of the Swan-Mills family, and he's often underappreciated for bringing his parents together. Regardless, there is PLENTY of storyline with or without him being involved.**

**Thanks for the kind reviews and follows, and keep 'em coming! **


	4. You've Been Served

**Disclaimer: A Once-less week is nonetheless a sad week, even with the ridiculous storylines. I honestly have no clue what's going to happen, so that tells ya I **_**don't**_** own this show. xD **

**Prayer circle that Robin gets chucked over the town line?**

**You've Been Served**

"Uh, Regina, I think we have a problem," Snow hesitantly stated to the Mayor, as she and David attempted to process the scene in front of them.

On instinct, David sent a call over his walkie for an ambulance to the butcher shop, curious as to why he'd find anyone, of all the people he could think of, to be here.

Looking comparable to an unruly pet that wrecked the house, Emma Swan stared back widely as her father examined the environment, cautiously. Tied and gagged to a chair was a battered shell of the man Sidney Glass. Charming was no detective, but he truly wanted to believe that he didn't just literally catch his daughter red-handed. She felt guilty about Robin, enough to try and seclude herself from others. Did Sidney provoke her, even to the point of losing control again?

"Dad, mom, I- I didn't hurt him, I just- I mean, I wanted to hurt him, if we're totally being honest, but I came here to tell him to get over Regina, and I found him like this, I swear!" Emma rambled, to her very nervous, fearful parents. They promised to be in this together, to protect their daughter, and believe her. But with the town under attack from all fronts, this was the worst of times to find the Savior in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With a hand to Snow, David starts pointing out his observations.

"It's okay, Emma. You don't look like you were in any struggle, and you've only got blood on your hands, which aren't swelling, or damaged. Just, don't touch the body next time, okay?"

"Charming, look at him, he's in pretty bad shape!"

"Yeah, I just wanted to get all of this stuff off of him, he looks hurt pretty bad."

"No no, Emma," Snow rushed, a little unnervingly for her daughter's liking. "We can take care of this, you go home. It seems pretty obvious that someone is trying to frame you."

"Mom," Emma started, feeling herself grow hotter in frustration, as they pulled off the restraints holding Sidney, and Snow began to check for his pulse.

"We know," David pleaded, holding his hands out to calm the unusually rebellious Sheriff. "You mean the world to us, and I know we're being selfish by asking you to stay out of this. Thing is, I've got a bad feeling that someone wants to hurt you, and the Merry Men aren't being coy about their blood war. Aside from that, we have Elsa behind bars on a stupid technicality. Please don't make it in vain, Emma."

"You know I'll go in her place, I never asked her to do this! I keep telling everyone, if I'm the Savior, well let me take the rap for my mistakes! Let me figure this out, I've gone to prison before, plus once an actual cop gets a hold of Elsa, it's only a short time before we're all in the spotlight. Not that many people can summon flurries when they get upset, you know," Emma snarled.

"Emma!" Snow shouted in protest. "I can't believe how selfish you're being, considering everything that's happened! Regina's working hard to piece together an alibi, while running the town, _and_ a con on the Maine police. You've got a whole town, ready to fight, just to protect you-"

"I never asked for that-!"

"I have never said this before, and I hope I never have to again, but I am your mother, Emma Swan!" the small brunette bellowed, as her tiny framed swelled and contracted. "_We _fought to bring you into this world, and no, we did not get to experience your childhood, nor your adult years, but we are _proud_ of you nonetheless. And I know you felt alone, misunderstood, you constantly remind us how we can never change that, but it doesn't stop us from regretting that _each_ and _every_ day. We missed out on a wonderful daughter going to elegant balls, instead of proms, teaching you about True Love, and heartbreak. Still, you managed to have a piece of us inside you, as you grew to be the Savior. You brought everyone together, and all you've ever wanted was a sense of home, family. Let us be there for you now that we actually can be, because it kills me to think there was a time that we couldn't."

The air was thick and tense, as David uneasily cleared his throats, looking over at a stupefied Emma, then an emotional Snow.

"Sweetheart, we love you. We've said it over and over again, but we're in this together. No one's ever going to take you from us again, and if they tried, well, you know the family motto. Now we- we lost Neal-"

"God, Charming, we agreed not to talk about this yet-" Snow interrupted, her voice struggling to fight back sobs.

"No, because Emma promised us that she'd do this our way, for Neal."

Breaking down, the blonde repeats the mantra she's had in her head since she moved to the magical town. "I don't want anyone to die for me," she cried, quietly.

"I miss him too, you know? I don't know if Robin did it, or some random guy in his crew, but something in me died, seeing my baby brother like that. And I can't just sit here, and do nothing about it."

They promised, for Emma and Snow's sake, to keep away from the subject at all costs, however, it was unavoidable now.

"I tried everything to wake him. When I saw Robin, I, I remember chasing him down, and calling him a murderer. He said he was a man of honor, that he didn't know what I was talking about. The worst part, is that I wanted so bad to kill him, to make him feel a fraction of the pain we were all going to feel. It's so hard to believe I even went that far, because you know, being Sheriff and everything… You think these guys are ruthless and inhumane, the next day, you're one of them."

Wordlessly, her parents pull her into a hug, neither of them able to communicate a more meaningful response.

"Emergency responses will be here in a few moments, it'd be wise to leave now," a smoke voiced, clearing to reveal a not-too-pleased Regina.

"Got it," David nudged, to an unaware Snow. "We've got this situated, Madame Mayor. We'll meet them as they arrive and give them a statement."

Emma felt the onslaught of an argument, as soon as Regina whisked them away, transporting them to their safest secret base, the vault.

"I know you're mad baby, but I found him like that-"

"I understand honey, that's not what's bothering me," Regina replied, as her formerly angry expression turned to worry. "We already have one murder, along with an arrest, these Merry Men are starting to make themselves a target for me. But I am going to ask while we're on the subject: What in God's name led you to go there?"

"… Don't be mad." Emma cowered, lowering her stance.

Sighing hard, as she threw her hands up, the regal brunette blurted, "Really? Let me guess, you're suspicious of Sidney, and you wanted to poke around."

"Killian kindof brought it back up-"

"I swear one day I'm going to stick that hook where it doesn't belong. I don't trust him, Emma!" Regina announced, despite herself. She didn't want a fight, not like this.

"Yeah, and I don't trust Sidney. One of them has betrayed us before already, and you know the guy is more than willing to sell us out for money or booze. Why are you even defending him?" Emma retorted.

"I'm not, I actually did suspect Sidney, but that investigation's obviously going to be held up until the man regains consciousness."

"Oh…" the Sheriff realizes, with a guilty blush.

"I'm very aware of your suspicions, and I trust your intuitions darling. However, sometimes I'd like to question my own when you interact with the one-handed man who still pines over you."

The blonde tries, and subsequently fails to resist rolling her eyes at her lover's lingering jealousy.

"C'mon babe, he doesn't pine."

"I would," the Mayor replies promptly. "I'd do anything to win you back into my arms- well, hook in his case." Noticing Emma's palms still bloody, the dark magic sorceress wiped her hands clean with a swipe of her hands.

"That hook has nothing on your tongue, so I wouldn't worry if I were you," Emma teased, waggling her eyebrows.

"Don't try and flirt your way out of this, I'm still annoyed with you, Swan."

"Oh, like you don't try to distract me every chance you get? I don't get it, Henry's at Jake's, that's like prime-time lady loving real estate," the blonde cooed, despite herself.

Regina, remembering Emma's confession, stalled. Their encounters, while she wouldn't trade anything in the world for, did little to comfort the Savior's frustrations and sleepless nights.

"Fine, but first you have to do something for me in return. I trust you know how to do a Forgetfulness Spell, right?"

"Woah, I didn't know I was bad enough to want to forget like that," Emma taunted, feigning insult.

"I assure you, Emma, you're the most skilled and adept sexual partner I've ever had," Regina replied, failing to hold her strong face, and blushing.

"Uhuh, keep talking, babe," Emma murmured, as she leaned in to kiss the soft space of Regina's collar bone, hands reaching towards her waist.

"Baby…" Regina whined, before continuing her efforts. "I remembered you could access someone's memories… with a spell…"

Catching the Queen's drift, Emma lifted her head. "I don't want it to scare you-"

"Honey, I lived in a time where people were ethically tortured and murdered if they so much as looked at me wrong. I just want to see if I can find any details, anything we could have missed. Plus, I heard you talk to your parents, I know your heart is heavy, and I know this is hard for you. Just, please let me see, sweetheart."

Nodding, Emma agrees. She trusts Regina with her heart, her memories were no different. Part of her wished she'd taken up the sorceress' offer of erasing them completely, but some form of her felt that if someone else could see it, from her eyes, at least they'd understand.

"So… what do I do? Blow out a candle, chant something in magic speak?" Emma questioned.

Laughing at her naïve girlfriend, Regina can only hold out her hand, which began to glow, a dark purple.

"Riddle me this: how does the Savior always break a curse?"

"True Love's kiss? Really?" Emma felt the need to play coy for a beat, before she chuckled. Nonetheless, she resigned herself to comply, feeling a quiet warmth on her hand, as Regina cupped her cheeks. The last thing she felt was a comforting whisper, before their lips met, and everything went blank.

Regina was Emma. Struggling to keep up with the fast pace, she saw events in quick, machine gun style flashes. She'd punched Little John in the face for making a rape joke about her girlfriend, despite his huge size disadvantage. One of their men managed to wound Rumplestiltskin with an enchanted arrow, right into his gut. A riot broke out, as the town fought the Merry Men. A golden flash whizzed by and hit a child, Neal. Her arms were bloody, as she held her brother, who was dying in her arms. She brought him to Snow and David, and an ambulance blurred through her mind with a droning sound. Eyes filled with hate, she ran after Robin, amid cries, fire, arrows and blood. He'd laughed at her efforts, denying her accusations. The simple act pushed her over the edge, and she found herself throwing up her arms, as she was too overwrought with anger and pain to use magic. Still upset, she found herself attacking him repeatedly, in a frenzy of punches. His face fell when she'd hit him, as everything went black. All she could hear was Hook's voice ringing, as she stood over a bloodied man.

"_My God Swan, the man's dead!"_

The connection between them broke, as Regina began to feel the usual warmth of Emma's kiss.

"Emma?" Regina wondered between kisses, as she confirmed her presence in the real world.

"You saw, everything in my heart, my mind, that was everything I could remember. Now you… you made a promise to me," the Savior reminded her with haste.

"And you're okay with me knowing this? Do you wanna talk about it?" Regina examined, concerned by her girlfriend's deflection.

"Yes, I promise. I'll let you know everything, how I feel, and you'd see it anyways. Nothing could get past you, even if I tried. Just, right now-"

"Talk later?" Regina added, catching her girlfriend's dilemma. They could do later, later was better than never.

"Totally," the blonde supplied, planting her lips on Regina's, hastily tugging off her blazer, and slipping a wandering hand up the brunette's shirt to grope a welcoming breast.

"My, my, Swan, you're insatiable, my love," Regina whispered, before tugging at her lover's earlobe with her teeth.

"And I'll never stop being this way for you. I love you, more than the scurvy pirate-"

"Or the rugged thief," the Mayor managed to get out, before Emma deepened their kiss, rubbing comforting shapes into her waist.

"Get us out of here," Emma rushed, as her heart raced, and body fluttered with love, sparks. In a flash, they were in the kitchen, as the blonde attempted to prop her girlfriend onto the counter. Hiking up the Queen's skirt, Emma can't help but revel in Regina's beauty as the woman wrapped her tan legs around the Savior, expensive heels clicking together behind her waist.

She was hot, and Emma wanted to garner some control of the situation at hand, before the Queen invaded her senses. With a cheeky smile, Emma concentrated, hard, and felt soft silk underwear materialize in her hands.

"Is it odd to find it extremely… _sexy_, when you perform new spells?" Regina half teases, half asks. "Because that was honestly, that impressed me, and I'm hardly ever amused."

Pocketing the garment, Emma was all smiles as she kissed Regina with full force, before replying.

"Trust me, you should see when you do it," the Sheriff countered with a kiss, shrugging off her jacket, and reaching behind her back to tug off her tank top. As Regina helped her remove the thin strip of clothing, kissing the taut skin that she met, a buzz chirped in Emma's back pocket.

"Shit, babe, that's gotta be the kid," Emma muttered, slightly annoyed at herself for groaning unhappily at their skin parting.

"Do you think something happened with him and Jake?" Regina stammered, jumping into "serious mom mode". Making a gesture, as if to suggest the Mayor take a mental step back, Emma checks her phone.

"_Jake just told me something pretty interesting. The local cops are trying to start selling to students at parties and raves. They come by pretending there's a noise disturbance, and give some kids money to pass it out during parties. Is it safe to say Operation Tiger's a go?"_

"Well, now I know what the cops are up to here, and why we hardly see them ever doing their jobs; they're pushing drugs in Storybrooke. I can't believe this!" Emma grimaced, punching the air in frustration.

"And, of course, if we request further investigation, more people would come into town. What concerns me right now, is that Jake knows this. Does this mean they've given him something?"

With a knowing look, Emma's eyes softened, almost pleading. "We've gotta trust our boy on this, that we raised him to be a good man. For goodness sake's, for all we know, he's got his first kiss today! Even if he does mess up, we have to be right behind him to say, 'yeah, kid you messed up, but we still love you'. Operation Tiger was our shindig, so I think it's a good idea to let him get inside information-"

"While you watch out for him?" Regina finished, gathering Emma's gist. Another buzz was felt, and the Sheriff read it aloud.

"If you're wondering, Jake doesn't do drugs. He was offered by someone at a recent party, and found it weird, because no one's ever sold or had any in town. They told him where they got it. Please Ma, calm down Mom if she's freaking out."

"Well, I'm glad our son is willing to talk me off a bridge, if necessary. Does this mean they're dating?"

"I dunno, but I'm gonna go with yes if they're ready to raid a party for drugs. Just saying, I think the only people who didn't do things like that for dating purposes were us, and everyone in Scooby Doo's gang."

Quickly scrolling through her phone to reply to Henry, she waits for Regina's inevitable, predictable response.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over two minutes ago you, ready to ravish me."

"Ah right, that," Emma concluded, letting the Mayor's statement sink in. "Okay, so here's the game plan. Henry's gonna promise me that he won't go looking for clues at any point today. We are gonna run upstairs, have at it like two naïve teens-"

"That is no comfort, considering you drove Henry to Jake's house," Regina confesses, a little disturbed.

"Aaand after all of that, we will talk. I'll try to calm down, and let you take charge of this craziness. For now, I'm honestly worried, but I will trust you. You're the Mayor, so hiding the town's identity was probably your M.O for a good few decades."

"Well, why did you think I hired Sidney?"

"I don't wanna say, but I'll say I have my theories on that too. Tough part is he's not very well liked. I'm just hoping my intuition is wrong, and Hook didn't go after him."

"Rumple wasn't too fond of him either, dear. Remember, he still thinks Sidney was responsible for him getting attacked. Quite falsely, but you know Glass, the man has pride and a severe drinking problem. If I dressed his wounds, I'd likely find this was the doing of a loan shark."

"You're so sure," Emma mused, as Regina shrugged, looking at her expectantly.

I love you sweetheart, but… this skirt is $110."

"Okay… oh- I'm sorry." Emma realizes, as she awkwardly picks Regina up promptly off of the kitchen counter, sharp nails raking against the back of her neck.

"Sorry, I thought you'd drop me," the Queen explains, rubbing the small indents she'd left on her paramour.

"Never. Wanna see something cool baby?" Emma asked, excitedly. The Mayor had seen this giddy face on few occasions in her life, some notable ones being: Henry when Emma returned his storybook, Emma when she'd finally accepted her goofy offer to go on the most entertaining date of her life, and currently, that same woman at this current juncture.

"That all depends on how silly it is. What is it on a scale of one to ten?"

"No, no, nothing silly, I promise," the Savior reassures her.

"I've been working on this really hard, and I've done it a few times myself. I think you'd like it," she reassures, in a sing song manner.

"Let's see it then," Regina replies softly, curling Emma's hair with an amused expression. She didn't expect the air to stop, the land to shift, and of all things, to appear, magically, in her bedroom.

Sporting a devilishly angelic grin, the Sheriff examined her lover's surprised features.

"You- you can teleport now!"

"Yep," Emma nodded, flexing her fingers to avoid them from getting numb. "Now I'd get the mail, but it does take a little bit out of me to do this, and I kinda like when you summon things out of nowhere. Plus, I don't like to show off that much."

Making a face, Regina simply replied, "Liar," before waving her hands to grasp a fistful of letters. Perusing bills, spam, corporate nonsense, and Emma's fine for her comments while under oath, the Mayor stopped at two letters sent in blue envelopes. The stamp was unmistakable with large red letters across the top.

"Emma, we've been summoned to a court hearing."

**So, I kindof locked up Elsa, but she won't be there forever! Anna can always bust her out, or she can let it go… xD But seriously, she is not in any immediate danger in a Storybrooke cell. As for the rest of the townies, I can't say the same. Rumple's pretty upset, and he doesn't honestly care about the problems everyone else is worrying about, I'll just say. He has his reasons.**

**Till next time?**


	5. Friends, Lovers, and Strange Bedfellows

**Disclaimer: I wish I could say I wrote the last two episodes of Once, because I thought they were AMAZING! So much so that I wonder if the writers actually saw all the gay they wrote into them. With all the high drama and laughs, they definitely made up for Robin Hood and Hook calling dibs on my two favorite ladies.**

**Speaking of ladies, wasn't Elizabeth Lail just SPOT ON as Anna?**

**Friends, Lovers, and Strange Bedfellows**

It was normal, if only for a short time, but the day was as unsuspecting as any other, without fault or flaw. After all, should a Queen expect anything less on her birthday, the Savior could only think.

They were all hovering near Elsa's cell as Emma leaned back in her chair proudly, with a smug Regina on her lap. With a mouth full of cake, Anna was the first to speak up on the subject everyone was surely thinking of: "Hands down, Emma, how in the world do you make your cake?"

Wiggling her hands, the blonde teases, "It's maaagic!" with a warbling tone.

Laughing, Henry chimed in, "Yeah, I could believe that. Did you knock it off from the three good fairies?"

"Hey! I made it with love and strawberries all on my own kid. No more cake for you," the blonde defended, making a failed swipe for her son's plate.

"Nuh-uh! I didn't say it was bad!" Henry defended through a spoonful of cake.

Despite being amused by their play fight, David clears his throat, announcing, "And here I thought there wasn't going to be any fighting on Regina's birthday."

"Charming, they're descendents of you, I thought you knew I had two kids," the Queen joked lightheartedly, watching her loved ones glare at her in turn.

"Okay now, onto why we're really here, guys," Snow chided, with a deceiving chuckle. "We've got to sort out what this court date means for all of us."

Nodding in agreement, David adds, "Ruby is doing us a big favor with the local police, which is paying off big time. Sure, Whale's not liking it, but it's gotten us _huge_ leads. We know the cops and officials here want to make this another drug hotspot, and use our story to make money so they can build new prison blocks. Henry's got their next party staked out, so he can probably get the drugs to the lab to see what they're giving these kids. Ruby's been getting some calls about loud partying and teachers were reporting more truant students."

Quickly Henry added, "And yes, I am aware of what a party is and what people do there, moms. I'll still need someone to be my extra set of eyes in case something goes bad." Turning to Anna, he questioned, "Hey, do you and Kristoff think you can still pull off being two drunk teenagers?"

"Can we?" Folding her arms, and giving a knowing look, Anna gave Henry a dead stare. "That's only how we act every single day, c'mon and give us a real challenge."

Their conversation to the side, the Charmings and the Evil Queen had a predicament of their own to solve. With a frown, Regina had to relate to Ruby's predicament. "It's not that easy to do sexual favors for someone you don't love. Or do we all forget she's a person with feelings too?"

"She's already given us enough information to shut their whole unit down, Regina," Snow reasoned.

"Whale wants to propose, this is kindof putting unnecessary strain on them to keep it going, no?" Emma argued, wanting to lower the amount of casualties in their fight.

"He's agreed to see this fight to the end, and supports her," Anna quipped. "Though I'm pretty sure, he's made some comments about wanting to drink again. I think she knows what she's doing, but yeah… it's no fun for anyone in that situation."

"It's also no fun having to ask every time you need to go to the bathroom or take a shower," Elsa's voice rang out from her cell.

With a glance at each other, the two Sheriff's laughed, as David conceded and unlocked her cell.

"Okay, you could've said something earlier, you know, we're not cruel here," he responded, apologetically.

"Yeah the bars are just a formality. We're only keeping you away from the men of Storybrooke who wish to corrupt you with their swash buckling and rampant alcoholism," Emma joked.

"Alcoholism and swash-buckling, eh? I dare say that sounds a bit too familiar," Hook interrupts, holding out a present, with a kiss to Regina's cheek.

"Happy birthday, darling," he mutters, as the former Queen thanks him. In the background, both she and Emma note Elsa's change in expression, and flushed cheeks.

"I have no idea what they're talking about."

"Elsa, it's okay, it was a while ago. It feels like forever since that I rode that Jolly Roger, so if you wanna date him, I'm all for it."

If she wasn't before, Elsa was fully red in the face now, as Regina surveyed the scene with a mixture of confusion and disgust dueling with her face.

"My, my Elsa, do you fancy me?"

"Um, no. Ew." Anna supplied for her speechless sister, in support. Elsa just shook her head furiously, and bit her lip to avoid laughing, or worse, talking.

"Hey ma, what is with you and trying to get everyone with someone? You know, some people are uncomfortable with that," Henry argued, in a teasing manner.

"Oh yeah, because it worked out so _badly_ for you, Jake breaking your heart, and all," Regina defended, with a playful smirk, as Henry himself began to turn shades of pink.

"Mom, she just got lucky, that's all," the boy muttered, bowing his head.

"Well, in any event, I brought some fun with me, the drinks." Killian stated, holding out a bottle, and handing it to Regina.

In reverence to her, he notes that it's sparking apple cider. "This one here though," he interjects, pulling out another bottle, while she'd examined the first, "Is apple vodka. I wasn't sure which you'd be more privy to, so I thought it best to bring them both along."

A collective grin fell on the entire group as Regina's face pondered the two choices, her hand lingering on the vodka beverage, as she traced a line over the features of the label. Feeling the sets of eyes on her, giddy in anticipation, she first addresses her priority.

"Henry, you've got a party to get ready for."

"I'll be going in a minute, with the car, I'm assuming, right? No one wants the Mayor drinking and driving, mom," her son teased.

"I can practically feel the peer pressure, why do you all want me to get drunk?"

The pairs of eyes that were targeting her suddenly scrambled, as Charming found amusement in Snow, Hook tried to get Elsa to look up, and Anna seemed to be engaged in a inside joke with Henry. It was only Emma, that was capable of keeping her eyes straight, deadpanning.

"Babe, you're so much fun when you drink."

* * *

><p><em>A merry chime went off as the door to the pawn shop opened, an expectant Rumplestiltskin lazily looking up at the intruder before returning to his task.<em>

"_Ah, has the birthday girl decided to come for a visit? I guess I was foolish to think Emma'd get you good enough presents that you wouldn't have to shop here on a lonely Wednesday."_

_Rolling her eyes, Regina retorted, "Oh I wish I had the time to waste on trinkets like you do. Sadly, I've got more important things on my plate. You know, like my future wife potentially going to prison. It's almost as if you forgot our deal."_

"_Dearie, I'd be dead before I reneged on a deal. I merely deflected the attention of our lovely men in blue. You never specified that I couldn't do that in the least," Rumple countered, not missing a beat._

"_You encouraged her sister to take the fall for her, I fail to see how this couldn't hurt Emma, and you once her Frozenness tells her what you did. And have you forgotten how news travels fast in this town?" Regina scolds, clicking her teeth in disapproval. "Belle would find out-"_

"_Don't you dare-!"Rumplestiltskin threatened, seething. He'd had enough of this fight, this war upon the town, his heart wasn't in anything. After Belle found out about his lies, she ran, right into those Merry Men's arms. While it was a given that she didn't approve of their actions, she still ran to Will Scarlet. She implicitly stated that she would not betray the town, nor the kingdom, but the simple fact remained. Rumplestiltskin was a divorced man, fighting to regain his lost love._

"_I will dare, you simple-minded imp! Your grandson stands to get hurt, Belle stands to get hurt. If the world knows our secret they'll either want to exploit it, or kill us all. You remember Greg and Tamara, right? I don't think the torches and pitchforks are merely figments of our imagination. These people aren't like us, they don't know how we lived, nor how we survive. We have enough with Robin's followers threatening the town. Don't you want to take back even a piece, a fraction of what they took from you?"_

"_They've been wise to not initiate an attack, considering the damage they've already made. I'd hope you too would be to not speak ill of my wife, lest you start another fight you can't win," the fiend sneers, resolute._

"_I didn't start this, you did, Gold. You wanna preserve your son's memory, Henry's, Neal's? Win back your wife? Protect this town and stand with us!"_

"_I've done my fighting, what has it gotten me? A drunkard stealing the love of my life! That bar stool Will Scarlet managed to convince my wife to divorce me. I have nothing, and there is nothing I wish to fight for. Leave me be," the older man pleaded._

"_You promised me, Rumple-" the former Queen softens, attempting to empathize with him._

"_Don't- …Belle calls me Rumple. I miss her touch, her sweetness, her optimistic look on the world, life," Gold concedes. "I loved her, but I ruined her."_

"_You can win her back. Emma promised the happy endings, and we will fix this. I will help you get her, with her heart intact if you can keep your word."_

"_I told you, all I came up with is the Forgetfulness Potion, and she refused that."_

"_Then we need to think of something else, a spell or talisman. Her dreams, they're starting to physically hurt her. Last night I thought someone was trying to strangle her."_

"_All this, and you say her heart is untouched? Even after murder, this all sounds quite complicated, curious," Rumplestilskin muses._

"_What are you trying to say, Gold?"_

"_I'm just wondering how her heart could remain pure, when even Snow's turned dark when she killed your mother. I don't know if that has to do with her being born of True Love, or something else-"_

"_Yes, yes, that's all fine and grand, but for right here and now, I need it to end. She can't live like this!"Regina cried, making a plea of her own. A heartbroken Gold was a volatile, dangerous person, but nonetheless, Belle made him human. Regina could take her chances with that._

"_The book never wrote the two of you to be together. Maybe that's its way of fighting back. I'll look further into it, but I make no promises. If you don't figure out the solution soon enough, and this is the case, then Emma may be in mortal danger. You're going to need more than a potion to combat in-book canon."_

* * *

><p>An eager hand led him to a house erupting noise from the seams, it almost felt like. As he looked on into the boy's eyes, they shared an adrenaline filled kiss under the stars, and teenage wreckage. Behind them were a clean cut Kristoff, who managed to finally get somewhere on time, holding Anna's waist.<p>

"So, we pretend to drink, be idiots, and make out? Sounds like my kind of night," Henry hears Kristoff muse, as they prepare themselves for the hazy, musk air and dark black lights that they're sure to encounter.

With the vibrating bass, screeching electronic music, and only the glow of t-shirts as their light, they made their way through to the life of the party.

Immediately they caught quick exchanges, flashes of small packages being traded for bills, swapped almost in ritual fashion. As they looked for any older people, or hints, Anna and Kristoff decided to stakeout the front yard. On cue, Jake pulled out two twenties, palming his hand out to the nearest person. As he noted the face who took his money, he noticed a small group, waiting in anticipation.

Curious, he asked, "What's up man, you need more?"

"You're new, you gotta take it now. Can't have any snitches, you know?"

Henry gave him a tense look, as Jake nonchalantly pulled the thin, clear strip out of the bag, and stuck it on his tongue. He swallowed harshly, and stuck out his tongue out, verifying its disappearance.

Rounding on their next victim, one member pointed to Henry. "Him too?"

"I got this," Jake supplied, taking another strip, and again placing it on his tongue. Quickly, he swallowed it as he turned to kiss Henry. Taking the cue, Henry makes an audible swallow, before flashing his tongue.

Satisfied, the lead in the group fist bumps them, before setting off into another direction. When he's sure they've left, Henry lightly shoves his boyfriend.

"Hey, we weren't supposed to take anything! How do I know that shit won't kill you or something?" he hissed into Jake's ear.

"Henry, you're free to call poison control, and a doctor when we're through but I had to get their trust. I didn't like doing that either, but I'd rather me than you take it. If we get more later, we can take that to your parents. Just, for now, play along, and make sure I get home."

"And no means no," the cautious teen reminded him, playfully.

"Yes, no means no," Jake replied, with a red eyed, glassy smile. While he was sure he was going to regret it later, or even tomorrow, tonight called for partying, and Jake couldn't think of anyone else to dance with.

**So Anna and Kristoff have enough swag to go to teen raves! What about Emma and Regina, huh?**

**And feel free to give Rumple hugs, he misses his bae so very much. xD**

**Until next time! :D**


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